Paul Robicheau
The Newport Folk Festival always pulls off unique, unexpected collaborations, while it embraces a head-spinning lineup of diverse genres that reflects its spirit of community.
It was a winding, ultimately exhilarating trip that spanned 51 songs, culminating on Sunday in a virtuosic clinic that sealed the quartet’s near-telepathic interplay across prog-leaning classics.
Despite several great sets including Jason Isbell and Iris DeMent, Wilco stole its own show at Solid Sound with conceptual aplomb.
Four players bridged divergent worlds and styles from bluegrass and jazz to Indian and Western classical music while taking virtually no time to lock in together.
Boston Calling has evolved into a smorgasbord of everything from indie to mainstream, from pop to hip-hop to hard rock.
Umphrey’s McGee’s Um Bowl was an exhaustive two-night series for non-diehards but rollercoaster nirvana for the initiated.
Saturday night’s advertised performers paid robust homage to the late Gary Smith — the Fort Apache Studios owner, producer, and band manager — across three and a half hours at the Somerville Theatre.
“The Past is Still Alive” hones Alynda Segarra’s songs to an accessible Americana that allows their travelogue-tinged tales to nestle in ways both literal and metaphorical. It’s one of the best records of the nascent new year.
Cat Power transformed Dylan’s songs across a 90-minute set that appeared organically studied, slightly unsettled, and ultimately sublime, as the singer rode the arc from a shadowy “She Belongs to Me” to an exultant “Like a Rolling Stone.”
The set impressed in its diversity, boosted by the cohesive breadth of “What Now,” even as its homages grew overt in the second half.
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